CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

28 February 2013

Nick on season ticket prices and current form

It is very easy to become accustomed to winning games after going on a good run, but I think it shows how far we have come in the last two months to see how disappointed we are to have lost two out of the last three games.

Despite picking up just one point in the last three matches, we have displayed a dogged, committed spirit, which I believed deserved more reward than we have received.

We have come up against some very good sides, who all currently sit in the top ten of the league, and we have played some strong football. It was particularly disappointing to concede so late on on Tuesday at Northampton, as I felt we deserved at least a point from that game.

But we cannot dwell on these results, we have to regroup and come back even stronger on Saturday, if we wish to continue to pull away from the dangerzone at the bottom of the table.

We were all hugely devastated to hear that Seanan Clucas will be out for up to nine months after suffering an ACL injury during the game against Morecambe on Saturday. He becomes the third player this season to be struck down with this awful injury, with Cian Bolger suffering the less extensive, but still serious PCL injury.

It will mean a lengthy period on the sidelines for Seanan at a time when he was making a real name for himself at Rovers. He is the sort of player who does not receive the plaudits every week, but does a vital job to help the team function from the centre of midfield.

We all wish him the speediest possible recovery, and will do everything we can to help with that process.

Of course we were all disappointed to hear that the Secretary of State has again delayed his decision on the Sainsbury’s Planning Application.

We do not feel that this is something that should cause undue concern, however, as a precaution, we would like to encourage those of you who live in the vicinity to send an email to the following addresses stating your support for the mixed use development on the Memorial Stadium site and the economic and investment benefits it will have for the local area.

Tomorrow we will be releasing our first phase of season ticket prices and information for the 2013/14 season, but I am delighted to be able to tell you that we have taken the decision to freeze prices until the end of March.

We appreciate that things remain difficult financially, and we wanted to be able to reward you all for your support and patience this season.

It has undoubtedly been another difficult period for the club, but I think we have all sensed the change in mood over the last few months, and I now feel that the true Bristol Rovers spirit has returned to the Memorial Stadium.

For this reason, I hope we can continue to pull together, and as many of you as possible will be purchasing season tickets for next season. A season ticket really does represent great value for money, and with the added incentive of being able to claim priority for your seat in the new stadium, I think we are offering you the fans a good deal.

Prices will rise at the end of March, but the exact figures have yet to be finalised.

Next up we have another high flying club in the form of Burton Albion at the Memorial Stadium. We have had some fantastic support at home this season, and I hope we can continue that for Saturday’s game. We all need to get behind John and the team to try and make sure we get back to winning ways as soon as possible.